1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to storage recording technology for a video data recording apparatus, in particular to technology for improving the use efficiency of a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In late years, a wide variety of programs are broadcast on a number of channels through terrestrial, satellite and other broadcasting. Besides, people can enjoy a vast number of videos and music items on the Internet.
In accordance with the trend, high-capacity recording apparatuses have been developed that enables a great number of programs and the like to be recorded. As such recording apparatuses, the following has been offered: ones working with detachable recording media such as optical disks represented by DVD (Digital Versatile Disk); ones, so-called hybrid recorders, in which such a detachable recording medium and a built-in recording medium—for example, a high-capacity HDD (Hard Disk Drive)—are integrated.
Here, in the case when programs and the like are recorded, it is possible to record more programs by encoding data of the programs, which is digital data, to thereby reduce the amount of data and writing the encoded data to a recording medium.
Nonetheless, a recording medium has a limit to the amount of data to be recorded thereon.
Given this factor, technology has been proposed that allows to record more programs and the like without requiring deletion of existing programs recorded on a recording medium.
Such technology includes various techniques, for example: estimating the amount of video recording data of programs set for timer recording reservation, and adjusting the image quality according to the amount of free space on HDD when encoding is performed (see Patent Reference 1); reducing the amount of data by repetition of an encoding process according to selection conditions of data compression times and compression-target programs which are specified by the user (see Patent Reference 2); selecting compression targets according to genres, recorded dates and times and the like of recorded programs, and encoding the selected targets (see Patent Reference 3).
[Patent Reference 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-271742
[Patent Reference 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-271744
[Patent Reference 3] Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2003-174624